Bible Strands
Genesis 47:20
So Joseph acquired for Pharaoh all the land in Egypt; the Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields because the famine was so severe upon them. The land became Pharaoh’s,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Joseph acts for Pharaoh during the severe famine, executing the Egyptians' request to exchange their land and lives for food and seed. He completes the transaction by taking ownership of every field in Egypt.
The words — The verb וַ/יִּ֨קֶן (va/i.Yi.ken) translates literally as "he bought," describing Joseph's acquisition of property. The noun אַדְמַ֤ת ('ad.Mat) means "[the] land of," specifying the territory transferred to Pharaoh.
The thread — The transaction mirrors the Egyptians' proposal in Genesis 47:19 and is completed by the servitude described in Genesis 47:21. The pattern of land transfer to central authority recurs in Leviticus 25:23 and Jeremiah 32:6-9.
Why it lands — It records a state seizure of private property driven by survival, not divine command. It asks the reader to confront how extreme scarcity can force communities to trade autonomy for continued existence.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s.